INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Krista Garofalo, chief programs officer at Treasure Coast Food Bank, was recently appointed to the National Advisory Council on Maternal, Infant and Fetal Nutrition. She received the news in a letter authored by Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture.
The 24-member Council’s role is to study and suggest ways to improve the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and programs serving similar populations, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Both WIC and CSFP provide supplemental foods, nutrition counseling, and health care referrals to those most in need.
Garofalo will serve a three-year term on the Council and will do so without compensation. The Council will meet annually outside Washington, D.C.
“We’re so proud of Krista’s hard-earned, much-deserved appointment,” said Judith Cruz, CEO of Treasure Coast Food Bank. “Her expertise and service on the Council will be critical to evaluating and strengthening programming that impacts our country and region’s most vulnerable children and adults.”
At Treasure Coast Food Bank, Garofalo has served in a wide range of capacities over her five-year tenure with the organization: community investment manager, director of advocacy and initiatives, chief public relations and strategy officer, and currently, chief programs officer. Previously, she held management positions with United Way in both Florida and New Jersey. Garofalo holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Georgia and a BA in Communications from The College of New Jersey.
In addition to sharing 10 million pounds of food throughout Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties, TCFB coordinates a full suite of programs and initiatives designed specifically to address the root causes of food-insecurity and boost health outcomes among community residents. A key initiative is the Food Bank’s “Your Plate Health & Wellness Center” in downtown Fort Pierce. Garofalo oversees the Center, which takes a holistic approach to fighting hunger by providing nutrition education, child and family programs, and assistance with enrolling in programs like WIC.
For more information on Treasure Coast Food Bank, please visit www.stophunger.org or call (772) 489.3034.